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Fantasia 2020: Neil Marshall’s ‘The Reckoning’ is Frighteningly Familiar

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The Reckoning

Neil Marshall’s The Reckoning is accidentally one of the most timely films to come out of 2020. Though it was filmed well before COVID-19 shook the world, it’s set in 1665, right in the midst of the bubonic plague and Europe’s witch hunts. Based on (obviously) true events, the film uses chaotic hatred and fear to tell a vengeful tale that still hits close to home.  

In the film, Grace Haverstock (Charlotte Kirk) is mourning the all-too-recent death of her husband, Joseph (Joe Anderson). Stuck raising their infant daughter on her own (during a deadly pandemic) she is soon visited by her landlord, Squire Pendleton (Steve Waddington), who demands rent despite her delicate living situation. When she spurns his grossly inappropriate and wholly unwelcome advances for an alternative arrangement, he sparks the fires of suspicion amongst the townsfolk, now certain that she must be a witch. 

For those not familiar with the Malleus Maleficarum, one of the supposed signs of bewitchment was erotic temptation (and also impotence, but that’s a whole other story). That’s right, if you made a man horny, you were most likely a witch. Naturally, once Squire was denied that which he disgustingly believed he was owed, witchcraft was a natural accusation. Grace is taken and tortured for several days in an attempt to gain a confession for her supernatural sins. 

Anyone who has been paying attention during the last several months will notice parallels between the events of the film and what’s going on currently. Self-quarantining and rent freezing are uncomfortably relevant, and much of what makes the first half of the film so effective is this relatable recognition.

Again, The Reckoning was written and filmed long before COVID-19, but perhaps the film suffers from how timely it has unintentionally become. The plot shifts from the grim presence of the plague (complete with plague doctors decked out in fashionably terrifying skeletal masks) and over to the horrific torture of the witch hunts, and the transition is obvious (literally identified by a title card).

The plague is more of a plot device to get Grace into the hands of Britain’s most ruthless Witchfinder, which ends up dividing the film into two distinct acts. One half is a plague film, the other a witch hunt revenge tale. It seems like two films stitched together somewhere in the middle; the plague is acknowledged through the film — to varying degrees of relevance — but there’s no real payoff.

Were this to be released during any other pandemic-free time, this wouldn’t be noticeable, but because we’re suddenly so mindful of it, it becomes hard to let go. With today’s context, the minor details become major, the historical nuances hold more weight; when they’re set aside, it feels like an important element is dropped. 

For a film that is firmly focused on the atrocities committed by the Witchfinder, there’s surprisingly little torture. Obviously there’s a fine line between appropriately bloody and gratuitously gory, but The Reckoning seems to fall on the tamer side. Throughout all her trials and tribulations, Grace remains relatively glamorous. After dragging the leading ladies of The Descent through literal pools of blood and muck, it’s somewhat surprising to see such restraint from Marshall. 

That said, the technical elements are all there. Christopher Drake’s musical score has a powerful drive that pushes emotion and sets a stark, dark mood. Luke Bryant’s cinematography uses lighting and framing to build some beautiful shots. The practical effects are visceral. It’s undeniably a well made film. 

Medieval horror — as a whole — is a relatively stagnant subgenre and it’s admittedly hard to bring something new to the table. The Reckoning starts on a high (and, again, unintentionally on-the-nose) note, but there doesn’t seem to be enough escalation to make it stand out as spectacular. Marshall is a genre favourite for his work on modern horror classics The Descent and Dog Soldiers, so The Reckoning came with high expectations. But it feels a tad disjointed, with a passable yet overall underwhelming climax. 

It is a fairly effective film with solid performances and a thoughtfully constructed, historically relevant story that rings a bit too true at the present moment. But in the grander scheme of Marshall’s work, it may get left in isolation.

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Brad Dourif Says He’s Retiring Except For One Important Role

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Brad Dourif has been doing movies for nearly 50 years. Now it seems he is walking away from the industry at 74 to enjoy his golden years. Except, there is a caveat.

Recently, digital entertainment publication JoBlo’s Tyler Nichols talked to some of the Chucky television series cast members. During the interview, Dourif made an announcement.

“Dourif said that he’s retired from acting,” says Nichols. “The only reason he came back for the show was because of his daughter Fiona and he considers Chucky creator Don Mancini to be family. But for non-Chucky stuff, he considers himself retired.”

Dourif has voiced the possessed doll since 1988 (minus the 2019 reboot). The original movie “Child’s Play” has become such a cult classic it’s at the top of some people’s best chillers of all time. Chucky himself is ingrained in pop culture history much like Frankenstein or Jason Voorhees.

While Dourif may be known for his famous voiceover, he is also an Oscar-nominated actor for his part in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Another famous horror role is The Gemini Killer in William Peter Blatty’s Exorcist III. And who can forget Betazoid Lon Suder in Star Trek: Voyager?

The good news is that Don Mancini is already pitching a concept for season four of Chucky which might also include a feature-length movie with a series tie-in. So, Although Dourif says he is retiring from the industry, ironically he is Chucky’s friend till the end.

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Editorial

7 Great ‘Scream’ Fan Films & Shorts Worth a Watch

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The Scream franchise is such an iconic series, that many budding filmmakers take inspiration from it and make their own sequels or, at least, build upon the original universe created by screenwriter Kevin Williamson. YouTube is the perfect medium to showcase these talents (and budgets) with fan-made homages with their own personal twists.

The great thing about Ghostface is that he can appear anywhere, in any town, he just needs the signature mask, knife, and unhinged motive. Thanks to Fair Use laws it’s possible to expand upon Wes Craven’s creation by simply getting a group of young adults together and killing them off one by one. Oh, and don’t forget the twist. You’ll notice that Roger Jackson’s famous Ghostface voice is uncanny valley, but you get the gist.

We have gathered five fan films/shorts related to Scream that we thought were pretty good. Although they can’t possibly match the beats of a $33 million blockbuster, they get by on what they have. But who needs money? If you’re talented and motivated anything is possible as proven by these filmmakers who are well on their way to the big leagues.

Take a look at the below films and let us know what you think. And while you’re at it, leave these young filmmakers a thumbs up, or leave them a comment to encourage them to create more films. Besides, where else are you going to see Ghostface vs. a Katana all set to a hip-hop soundtrack?

Scream Live (2023)

Scream Live

Ghostface (2021)

Ghostface

Ghost Face (2023)

Ghost Face

Don’t Scream (2022)

Don’t Scream

Scream: A Fan Film (2023)

Scream: A Fan Film

The Scream (2023)

The Scream

A Scream Fan Film (2023)

A Scream Fan Film
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Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month

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Good spider films are a theme this year. First, we had Sting and then there was Infested. The former is still in theaters and the latter is coming to Shudder starting April 26.

Infested has been getting some good reviews. People are saying that it’s not only a great creature feature but also a social commentary on racism in France.

According to IMDb: Writer/director Sébastien Vanicek was looking for ideas around the discrimination faced by black and Arab-looking people in France, and that led him to spiders, which are rarely welcome in homes; whenever they’re spotted, they’re swatted. As everyone in the story (people and spiders) is treated like vermin by society, the title came to him naturally.

Shudder has become the gold standard for streaming horror content. Since 2016, the service has been offering fans an expansive library of genre movies. in 2017, they began to stream exclusive content.

Since then Shudder has become a powerhouse in the film festival circuit, buying distribution rights to movies, or just producing some of their own. Just like Netflix, they give a film a short theatrical run before adding it to their library exclusively for subscribers.

Late Night With the Devil is a great example. It was released theatrically on March 22 and will begin streaming on the platform starting April 19.

While not getting the same buzz as Late Night, Infested is a festival favorite and many have said if you suffer from arachnophobia, you might want to take heed before watching it.

Infested

According to the synopsis, our main character, Kalib is turning 30 and dealing with some family issues. “He’s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap. The only option for Kaleb and his friends is to find a way out and survive.”

The film will be available to watch on Shudder starting April 26.

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